About Saltwater Aquariums

New DIY Christmas Card Pictures

2009-11-05T01:00:03Z

It's not too late to make your own greeting cards to send out to friends and loved ones this holiday season! To make things even easier, I've added this new delightful Yellow Tang Santa with Ho-Ho-Ho greeting, which I designed using another one of my original watercolor paintings.

That's not all. Here are more Christmas fish art pictures that were also just added.

Aside from these new items, any of the free for personal use designs in my Yellow Tang Santa and Humu-Humu Ho-Ho Christmas Triggerfish collections can be combined when making cards and applied to make other items, so have fun being creative, or try these quick and easy to print specialty items.

-- HAPPY HOLIDAYS! from Debbie and Stan

New DIY Christmas Card Pictures originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 01:00:03.

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DIY Hood and Canopy Projects

2009-11-04T01:00:23Z

Getting tired of that old hood or canopy on your tank? Maybe you want to upgrade your lighting, but don't want to spend a lot of money. You can find a number of projects for just about any budget or level of experience. Change the entire appearance of your tank in just a few hours with very little money.

More: DIY Stand, Canopy & Hood Photos These will give you some ideas of what can be done.

More: DIY Live Rock & Live Sand Projects Make your own Live Rock in the shape and texture that you want.

More: DIY Filter/Filtration Projects Designing and making your own filtration system can be easier than you might think.

DIY Hood and Canopy Projects originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 01:00:23.

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Gobies - Your Reef Tank's Best Friend

2009-11-03T01:00:22Z

The lowly Goby may be one of the most valuable critters you can put in your reef tank. The Sand Sifting Gobies help keep the DSB aerated while they consume uneaten food, detritus and nuisance algae. The Shrimp Gobies stir the sand as they sift through it and build their burrows, which many will share with a Pistol Shrimp. The Small Gobies will act as cleaners as they pick parasites from their tank mates.

Forums: Goby Feeding? My watchman goby just sits in the pistol shrimp's ditch, or close to it. How do I assure he gets ...

Photo by Larry Jordan

Gobies - Your Reef Tank's Best Friend originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 01:00:22.

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How to Prevent Heater Disasters

2009-11-02T01:00:00Z

Don't let this happen to you! "Walked by the tank this morning and found everything laying belly-up. The thermostat for the heater got stuck and the water temp was 92.6F." The general response to this message posted in the forums by Paul (psedio) is one of extreme sadness, and we agree. It is heart-wrenching to loose everything in your tank from something like a heater going haywire, a situation that might occur with any aquarium heater, so here are some very simple things you can do that could help to prevent this same type of disaster from happening.

Read/Join the Discussion: Everythings Dead Walked by the tank this morning and found everything laying belly-up. The thermostat for the heater got stuck and the water temp was 92.6F...

Top Pick: Submersible Aquarium Heaters Aquarium heaters wear out over time. Top quality heaters can help you avoid a heater disaster in the future.

Photo by PriceGrabber

How to Prevent Heater Disasters originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 01:00:00.

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Tips For Giving An Aquarium As a Gift

2009-10-30T01:00:30Z

When deciding to give a complete aquarium set up to someone as a gift for Christmas or another special occasion, there are some things that need to be considered before doing so. These helpful aquarium gift giving tips from your Guides will help you avoid pitfalls that can occur when buying such a gift, like purchasing unnecessary equipment and supplies, ending up with something that the giftee doesn't have room for, or spending beyond your budget.

More Gift Giving Help

Ways To Find Out What An Aquarist Wants or Needs Not giving away your intentions can be difficult when you are trying to surprise someone. These tips should help you get the information you need to buy that special person a great aquarium gift.

Items To Put On Your Gift Giving Ideas List

Top Mini and Nano Aquarium Kits Plug N' Play aquariums to get you started quickly.

Top 1 to 50 Gallon Aquariums Make a great gift for the whole family.

Top Canister Filter Picks Offer biological, mechanical and chemical filtration in one easy to install and maintain unit.

Photo by PriceGrabber

Tips For Giving An Aquarium As a Gift originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 01:00:30.

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Why Corals Change Colors

2009-10-29T01:00:02Z

Why do your new corals change or lose their color as soon as you put them in your aquarium? Most people think that the corals are "sick", but the odds are that they aren't really sick, they just need time to adjust their Zooxanthellae Cells. Why Corals Change Colors explains what is happening and how you can help your corals through the transition to your tank.

FORUMS: Bleaching? I've recently cleaned off my light and I've noticed in the past two days ...

MORE: Coral Lighting - How Changes in Lighting Affect Corals May explain a lot of the changes you have seen in your corals.

Photo by M. Caruana

Why Corals Change Colors originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 01:00:02.

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Top Aquarium Equipment Picks

2009-10-28T01:00:00Z

Combining technology and inginuity in one small package, compact plug 'n play mini or nano aquarium kits are the lastest rave from the aquarium industry. From 2.5 up to 34 gallons in size, each unit includes complete built-in filtration and higher output lighting systems, and many more unique features, all of which make starting a new saltwater or reef aquarium as easy as 1 (fill it up), 2 (plug it in), 3 (turn it on)!

Sleek, affordable, and an upgrade from standard or NO (Normal Output) fluorescent lighting suitable for fish-only systems, these top pick quality HO (High Output) or PC (Power Compact) fluorescent light fixtures are ideal for aquarists that want to step things up and move into the realm of reefkeeping with corals that do not require high intensity lighting, and enhance the growth of live rock with beneficial coraline and macroalgae. Some units come in freshwater versions that are ideal for planted aquariums.

Top Canister Filter Picks: Whether you want one for polishing water or for a complete filtration system, there is a compact Canister Filter that will fill your needs.

Top 1-50 Gallon Aquariums: Whether you are a beginner looking for your first tank, or an experienced aquarist contemplating creating a quick and easy micro or mini reef tank or a refugium, one of these Top Pick Aquariums between 1 to 50 gallons in size might work for you. With the variety of small tank PC and MH retrofit kits available today, these tanks are a great starting point for just about anyone.

Photos by PriceGrabber

Top Aquarium Equipment Picks originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 01:00:00.

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Mandarinfishes/Dragonets Profiles

2009-10-27T01:00:02Z

These small, beautiful fish have color patterns which almost defy description. Considered by many to be difficult to keep because of their specific diet requirements. In the wild, the Dragonets' diet consists almost solely of Amphipods and Copepods, which most mature reef or FOWLR tanks already contain in some quantities. With a little patience, most of these fish can be trained to take Brine and Mysis Shrimp and other hand fed foods.

While all of the species are stunning, the Striped or Green Mandarinfish and Spotted Mandarinfish are most hobbyists' favorites.

More: View terrific photos of Dragonets/Mardarinfish. The outrageous colors of these fish are truly unbelievable.

Forums: Mandarin & Ich I have always been told that ALL fish are susceptible to ICH. I was told the other day that the Mandarin has a special slime coat that keeps it from catching or transmitting ICH. Is this true or not?

Photo By Andy Wakefield

Mandarinfishes/Dragonets Profiles originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 01:00:02.

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A First-Aid Kit for Saltwater Aquariums

2009-10-26T01:00:42Z

Unforeseen aquarium emergencies can occur at any time. If you do not have a basic Aquarium First-Aid kit on hand, a small problem can quickly turn into a costly disaster. Here is a basic list of items to have on hand when the unexpected event occurs.

Forums: Black spots? I recently discovered black spots on my yellow tang, I;m going to try ...

More:Beware Of Poisonous Fish! A painful sting by one of these critters can put you in the hospital for a while, or worse.

A First-Aid Kit for Saltwater Aquariums originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 01:00:42.

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DIY Glass Aquarium Plans

2009-10-25T01:00:19Z

Have you been thinking about starting an aquarium or wanting to set up another one, but find you can't afford to do so? It is much easier than you might think to build your own glass tank. By following these simple Do It Yourself aquarium plans and instructions from your Guides you can do it, and save $$ in the process. What are you waiting for?

More DIY Info: Glass Thickness Calculator Determine the glass thickness which will work best for your DIY tank. You may be able to use a thickness which is less expensive with the same results.

More DIY's: DIY Refugium Plans & Setups Easy to build refugiums with many uses (grow your own copepods or algae).

More DIY's: DIY Seahorse Tank Seahorses prefer a different type of tank (taller, rather than wider) than you normally find in your LFS or online. Here are complete plans and instructions for a terrific DIY Seahorse Tank which will cost you about $25 to build.

DIY Glass Aquarium Plans originally appeared on About.com Saltwater Aquariums on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 01:00:19.

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